99designshttps://en.99designs.com.br/blog
The Creative Edge design blog by 99designs is the best place to get inspired and learn about design. Check out our awesome tips, tutorials and advice on graphic design, logo design, running a business, freelancing and growing an agency.Thu, 24 May 2018 18:55:05 +0000en-UShourly1https://wordpress.org/?v=4.9.6It’s time to vote for May’s Top 9 at 99https://en.99designs.com.br/blog/top-9/best-animal-design-2018/
https://en.99designs.com.br/blog/top-9/best-animal-design-2018/#respondThu, 24 May 2018 14:00:18 +0000https://blog.99cluster.com/blog/?p=170232Every month we pull together nine inspiring designs with a unifying theme and have you vote on your favorite—and May’s…

Best of luck to this month’s nominees!

]]>https://en.99designs.com.br/blog/top-9/best-animal-design-2018/feed/010 famous logos and what you can learn from themhttps://en.99designs.com.br/blog/logo-branding/famous-logos/
https://en.99designs.com.br/blog/logo-branding/famous-logos/#respondWed, 23 May 2018 14:52:03 +0000https://blog.99cluster.com/blog/?p=169146A logo is like the front door of a business. It’s a first impression. It’s a greeting. It’s got an…

]]>A logo is like the front door of a business. It’s a first impression. It’s a greeting. It’s got an energy. The world’s most famous logos have this down. But, what makes a logo a smash hit?

Markets and trends are always evolving, but certain characteristics like typography, layout, patterns and color have a huge impact on how people perceive a logo. Knowing how the big brands do it right will help you refine your own brand and connect with your audience.

Let’s dive in and take a look at a few companies who have really raised the bar with their logo design, why they have been so successful, and what we can learn from their design.

10 legendary famous logos
—

Target

The history

Target created their unique and synonymous logo in 1962. Originally, it had three white and three red rings with the company name boldly displayed across it. Just seven years later, the company launched a famous ad that featured a woman wearing the Target logo as an earring—the earliest use of Target’s branding becoming “unexpected.”

In 1989, the company temporarily removed the image from its logo, and it became a text-only wordmark with “TARGET” in bold lettering. But in 2006, the iconic, standalone bullseye returned with the text removed.

The design

What better way to represent the name “Target” than by using an actual target. Makes sense, right? Simple, yes. But the passion behind the design goes deeper.

Target’s logo stands out due to its strong use of the color red and striking simplicity. Many of the logos we will visit in this piece have stood the test of time due to their impressive minimalist design, and the Target logo is the most prominent in this regard.

The circle-within-a-circle logo design communicates universally. The use of negative space beyond the outer red ring carefully creates an image of strength and trust. Circles convey friendship, community, and endurance—traits which are all important to the Target brand.

In business, the color red denotes passion, importance. and attention. White represents cleanliness, virtue and health. When we explore the philosophy of the company, the colors used in their logo design match perfectly with the vision and purpose of the corporation.

It’s incredible how much thought and effort went into such a simple logo.

The lesson

Depending on your industry, you’ll need to identify certain traits in your logo design. Shapes are a great way to do that. Like Target, if you want to demonstrate trust and community, circles can convey that to your consumers.

Use negative space to avoid clogging up your design with elements that will prevent your consumers from knowing the most important things about your brand.

Apple

The history

Apple’s first logo in 1976 looked nothing like the logo we know today. The original featured Isaac Newton sitting beneath a tree with the apple hanging from it, poised to drop. While it was creative, Apple quickly simplified their logo to a literal apple.

Between 1977-1998, Apple often used a rainbow-colored logo design to coincide with their first color display computer. But this grandiose use of color eventually evolved into shiny chrome and then flat color—the version the world sees today.

The design

As with the Target logo, it’s easy to point out the simplicity of Apple’s current logo design. So, why the shift from its original rainbow to chrome to flat color?

Apple strives to make stylish products that are as accessible as possible, so even the most technologically-challenged individuals can use them. The chrome and then flat-color logos demonstrate sleekness and sophistication; the curved apple denotes style. All three traits are synonymous with the Apple brand.

What about the bite?

Some people say the “bite” out of the apple is a pun on the word “byte” (as in gigabyte, or megabyte for us rookies). Others call it a metaphor for the bite of knowledge consumers get from using Apple’s products. Either way, we think it’s a pretty awesome way to add interest to a minimalistic logo.

The lesson

So what can we learn from Apple’s rad logo design? It’s important to notice how the Apple logo displays the traits of its products in its design. Their logo completely matches the personality of their brand. When we think of Apple’s products, we think of words like accessible, sleek, and intelligent. The logo conveys just that.

The simplicity of their logo goes a long way in sticking in the mind of the consumer—too many things going on in a logo, and we will most likely forget about it easily. The stark and striking simplicity of the Apple logo means it’s universally recognized and easily remembered.

Google

The history

Google created its original logo in 1998 using a standard font to display the company name. The logo remained practically unchanged until 2009 when the company altered the coloring and shading of the lettering. In 2014, Google made a few minor changes to letter spacing.

In 2015, Google relaunched their logo with a new, modernized custom typeface and similar colors that were more vibrant and saturated. This is predominantly the logo we know today.

The design

Once again, the simplicity of Google’s logo is clearly evident in its design (starting to see a trend here yet?). As with Apple, Google likes to boast how accessible it is to the masses, which is a huge part of what people know and love about the company.

Since Google chose a wordmark for its logo design, their use of color is very important. Google aimed to use primary colors to give its design a look that pops. However, notice the “l” in the logo. Green is a secondary color, and Google included this in its logo to say “We don’t have to follow the rules,” a choice that arguably makes the company look more innovative.

The wordmark’s letter spacing flows seamlessly to represent how Google moves users through its interface. The use of negative space also provides a stark contrast to the primary colors used, signifying the way the company stands out over the competition.

On a final note, Google often uses quirky versions of its logo to reflect world events, a great way for the company to stand in community with a worldwide audience.

The lesson

Just like Google, consider updating your logo to reflect local or world events. While you might not want to go changing your logo every week, an innovative touch like this is a great way to stay relevant with your consumers.

Think carefully about the use of color and lettering in your logo design. Do bright colors represent your brand? How much space do you want to include between your letters? The Google logo gives us some great insight into how this can make a difference.

FedEx

The history

The original FedEx logo was born in 1973, a plain blue wordmark on a patterned blue background. While the colors have changed, the typeface—with a white arrow visible between the second E and the X—has been there since the beginning. The logo we know today was introduced in 1994. Pretty cool to be able to keep the same font across a generation!

The design

I have given the game away already… FedEx has hidden a white arrow inside the last E and X, a subliminal symbol of speed, movement and precision—some very important traits of a delivery and logistics brand.

FedEx also represents multiple arms of their company through a clever use of color. While maintaining the purple color of the “Fed” in the logo design, the “Ex” portion changes based on the product. The most common color combination we see is purple and orange for FedEx Express, the service used for the bulk of packages.

Pretty cool, right? We think so.

By changing one of their logo colors, the company can symbolize each aspect of their company in a different way. Because color psychology is so important in business, each color can intentionally reflect a specific aspect of your brand.

The lesson

Hidden meanings within a logo might just be the creative edge you have been searching for in your logo design. Why not try something like this? Give your consumers that “a-ha” moment and up the clever-factor of your design to appeal to your audience in a really cool way.

Changing font color is another thing we can learn from the FedEx logo. Do you have different areas of your business where you could do something similar? Look at color psychology and see how you can weave multiple colors for multiple products into your logo design.

LG

The history

Founded in 1958 as Goldstar Electronics, the LG we all know rebranded in 1995 with an original logo and the slogan “Life’s Good” curving around the left side of the design. In 2011, the logo received a glossy, 3D effect, which the company uses today.

The design

When you first look at the logo, what do you see? Hello, winking happy face!

Although more obvious than the hidden arrow in the FedEx design, the emoji face hidden in the LG logo is undeniably clever. The letters “LG” match up with the company slogan “Life’s Good,” and what better way to bring those words to life than a happy face? Additionally, the G is shaped like an on-button, which is very fitting for an electronics company. Told you it was clever.

Like the Target logo, LG uses a red circle in its design to signify friendship, community and endurance. (When you’re buying a new electronic product, doesn’t it sound even better coming from a company that values endurance?) This particular shade of red officially is “the unique LG red color.” It’s not a particularly glamorous way of describing the color, but it does highlight how important red and its color attributes are to their brand.

On its storefronts, the company gives their logo a 3D transformation. This gives it a futuristic appeal which according to LG, helps to “strengthen the visual impact of their symbol mark and helps communicate their attributes.”

The lesson

Again, simplicity in your logo is key. The LG logo design finds ways to convey all of their brand attributes with one color, two letters and simple shapes. A great logo can establish brand identity with just a few elements. Don’t go overboard!

LG also provides us with another example of a hidden image in their logo design. If you can unlock your creative side and do something similar, this is a highly innovative way to represent your brand attributes.

Toyota

The history

Toyota actually began its history as “Toyoda,” named after its company founder. In 1936, the company ran a public competition to design a new logo, and rebranded as “Toyota,” a word that is visually simpler (and luckier!) in Japanese. In 1989, the company launched its current oval logo.

The design

Like LG and Target, Toyota uses red as its primary brand color. When selling vehicles to the masses, a sense of community, friendship and endurance are all vital traits. But what about that silver or gray? It represents conventionality, dependability, professionalism and safety, while the metallic shine adds a feeling of high value and quality.

The curved edges of the logo convey sophistication and sleekness, while the typeface is bold and striking, implying strength and dependability.

So, what do all those fancy looking ovals in the logo mean? According to Toyota, the two perpendicular ovals inside the larger oval represent both the heart of the customer and the heart of the company. They overlap to model the mutually beneficial relationship between both. Together they form a “T,” the first letter of the company that also resembles a steering wheel shape.

While being one of the more complex logos out there, the thought and creativity behind the design definitely goes a long way in displaying the care and sophistication Toyota puts into its products.

Pretty awesome, right?

The lesson

While still staying simple, Toyota packs in a lot of hidden meanings into its logo design. You can do this too, which is a huge stride toward demonstrating the care you put into your business and building better relationships with your customers.

The Toyota logo is also a great example of contrast. The curved edges of the design combine well with the striking boldness of the font. Think about including a similar contrast in your own design. Do you want to imply strength as well as sophistication? Or maybe sleekness and endurance? Too much contrast can lead to confusion, but when used well, it’s a great way to present multiple attributes to your consumers.

Mercedes-Benz

The history

Most car companies change their logos over time to evolve with design trends. But a logo that’s managed to stay original and significant for over a century is the Mercedes-Benz star. The company introduced the star in 1909, and it’s still the central element of their logo to this day.

The design

Mercedes displays its logo on many of its vehicles and advertising without any lettering. With decades of brand awareness, the company can easily tap into consumers’ universal knowledge. But the star itself is packed with meaning: the three prongs represent the air, land and sea—each a segment of the automotive industry.

Like Toyota, the logo’s silver color evokes dependability, security, professionalism, and conventionality along with value and quality. Notice an industry trend?

Compared to other brands, the Mercedes typeface is thin and curved, which gives it a touch of elegance—exactly the image the company wants to create.

The lesson

Fonts matter. Compare the Mercedes typefaces to the one in the Toyota logo, and you can clearly see the difference. The curved edges allow the company to evoke luxury—all with just letters. Imagine if that font was thick, bold and blocky. Not quite so elegant, right?

If you plan to use text in your logo, remember that every typeface has its own personality. Find one that fits your brand, and run with it.

Shell

The history

You might know Shell as a gasoline and oil company. But wayyyy back in 1891, Shell began as a trading company that specialized in bringing sea shells to Western nations. That was quite the pivot.

In 1900, Shell introduced its first logo, a black-and-white drawing of a seashell. Since then, the image of a shell has never disappeared from the company logo, though its various facelifts include a color makeover in 1948. The current logo appeared in 1995, the company now uses it as a standalone mark without any text.

The design

Shell’s bright red and yellow brand colors are iconic. But rather than color psychology, these choices play up a cultural significance. When Shell first appeared in California, the company wanted to match the colors of the Spanish flag—where many early California settlers were born—to try and form an emotional bond with their customers. Looking at how the company has fared over time, that bond’s become pretty strong.

The shell represents a mollusk, which points back to the company’s trading roots, but is also part of the eco-cycle of oil exploration. A bold font and strong lines reflect a bold company with a strong standing in the business world. Can you imagine how people might view the logo if it was curvy and soft?

The lesson

Could you reflect your company history in your logo? Or even make a strong cultural connection? Shell’s colors remind us of the company’s heritage, and you could use this technique to forge an even stronger bond with your consumers.

Coca-Cola

The history

Coca-Cola introduced their first black-and-white logo (that’s how most things were back then) in 1886. Over time, the logo has evolved, but that classic, script lettering has largely remained the same. By 1958, the brand’s famous red and white colors officially became part of the logo.

Across dozens of iconic marketing campaigns (we all remember the “Enjoy a Coke with [insert name here] bottles), the logo hasn’t changed dramatically, aside from the addition of the “white wave” we commonly see underneath the text.

The design

You’d be hard pressed to find a logo that has been more resilient than Coca-Cola’s. So what is it about the logo design that makes it undoubtedly one of the most impressive in the world today?

Originality and class.

The Coca-Cola logo design reflects classic Americana; the two are synonymous with each other. The cursive and fashionable lettering is truly unique and absolutely personifies the fashionable class of its brand. When we think of classic America we simultaneously see the Coca-Cola logo, which gives the company both a nostalgic and cross-generational appeal.

The modern Coca-Cola logo is recognized and loved around the world because of its famous red and white colors. So, why red?

Red is a very powerful color. It evokes excitement, energy and passion. Don’t these traits seem reflective of the classic America already mentioned? Red also stimulates the appetite, which undoubtedly works in a soft-drink company’s favor!

The lesson

What lessons can’t we take from Coca-Cola’s original, innovative and simplistic design? Seriously, if you ever need inspiration for your logo, you can surely find it here.

Lead with color. Coca-Cola and red are synonymous. The company goes all-in when it comes to pushing its brand colors into its products and marketing—and it works. Use color psychology to find a primary color that fits your brand to “stimulate the appetite” of your own consumers.

Consider custom fonts. The Coca-Cola logo is particularly impressive because of the way the font clearly matches the personality and identity of its brand. That’s because it’s completely custom. As you develop at your brand, get creative with how you can use or reimagine fonts, letters and shapes that aren’t off-the-shelf to make your brand truly unique.

Nike

The history

We all know the Nike “Swoosh,” but the story behind its design is not one many would guess. In 1971, graphic design student Carolyn Davidson designed the logo and sold it to Nike co-founder Phil Knight for a mere $35.

Yes, you read that right, $35!! Not a bad investment. Knight forged Nike with the power of the swoosh, and the rest is history.

The design

The swoosh began with text that accompanied it. But now it doesn’t even need it. Like Shell, Apple, Mercedes and Target, few companies can boast that their logo is universally recognized.

Well played Nike, well played.

In Greek mythology, Nike is the goddess of victory, and the meaning behind the name inspired the logo. The swoosh mimics the wing of the goddess combined with Nike’s own brand traits.

What do you feel or see when you look at the Nike logo? Speed? Acceleration? Power? That’s exactly what the company wants you to feel, and this innovative design represents all of these traits in a simple and creative way.

The swoosh also resembles a check mark, which signifies “yes”, a symbol of reinforcement and positivity.

The lesson

One of the most prominent lessons we can take from the Nike logo is how to convey attributes through shape. The swoosh evokes motion and speed. What shapes tell the story of your product, brand and mission?

Also consider how you can display your logo with and without text. Few logos can stand alone, but when its done right, they’re just as powerful.

How famous logos do design right
—

These famous logos belong to companies that people all over the world admire because of their success, philosophy, identity, or customer satisfaction. Each logo captures the brand perfectly to forge an identity that everyone can relate to.

What do they have in common? Perfect use of colors, shape and lettering—all while keeping it simple. Use these techniques to create a stellar logo design that tells your customers everything they need to know about you, your products and your values. And don’t forget to pay attention to not only what you want to know, but also feel, when they look at your logo.

A great logo isn’t the sole indicator of a successful business, but a thoughtful, eye-catching logo design will help you establish yourself as a reputable brand in a competitive space. And you’ll look super awesome, too!

Want a logo that's just as awesome?

]]>https://en.99designs.com.br/blog/logo-branding/famous-logos/feed/0A complete guide to printing your design projectshttps://en.99designs.com.br/blog/tips/printing-your-projects/
https://en.99designs.com.br/blog/tips/printing-your-projects/#respondTue, 22 May 2018 16:39:55 +0000https://blog.99cluster.com/blog/?p=169141Here you are, cooking for your future in-laws for the very first time. Clearly the meal needs to be perfect,…

]]>Here you are, cooking for your future in-laws for the very first time. Clearly the meal needs to be perfect, nothing less will suffice. Yet you’ve decided to prepare a challenging dish, where each ingredient needs to be just right for the dish to work. A little too much cayenne, or a shortage of sage, and you’re dead in the water.

Getting your design project printed—whether it’s a brochure, business card or packaging design—has the same requirements. Like a complex dish each ingredient needs to come together to create a beautiful, finished piece. In the printing industry, these ingredients are known as the specifications. The right production specifications are the essential building blocks of a successful printing project. In this article you’ll learn everything you need to know about printing your design projects, for perfect print results that will dazzle your in-laws—er, I mean clients.

Just like the ingredients in a perfect entree, the specifications within a print print project need to be just right. Menu design by A-Sz.

Up-front questions before you start printing
—

There are a number of up-front questions that should be addressed by the graphic designer and the client, which help to determine the direction the production specifications will take. Here are the most important questions to ask before you start the printing process:

There are so many options to consider when printing your projects.

Who is the audience for this printed piece?

What mood should the project convey?

How long will the piece be used (what is its shelf-life)?

What is the budget for this project?

How and where will this piece be used?

How will it be distributed?

What quantity is needed?

Answering these questions beforehand will give you a good idea of what you’ll need when it comes to making print decisions later on.

The pretty and the practical: aesthetic and logistical specifications
—

Successful print projects are the end-product of carefully-chosen aesthetic and logistical specifications. Cover design by Ariesta05.

As these questions are answered, the specifications begin to meld and take shape. The recipe is now in the works! Here are some aesthetic and logistical specifications to consider when planning your print project:

If your project is a sales brochure for cabins nestled in the leafy woods of New England, a gloss-coated paper stock is probably aesthetically too slick for the marketing message. Similarly, if the project is a one-time use, four-page program for a three-hour psychology seminar, stamping the front cover in a metallic foil leaf is overkill and an unnecessary expense.

But let’s say that the attendees of that psychology seminar are given a 136-page book of every speech made at the event. The sheer length of the book mandates that only certain types of binding be considered (like perfect-binding, which features a a square, glued spine) instantly eliminating other binding options, such as saddle-stitching (two staples inserted thru the spine), which cannot physically handle that number of pages.

And when the seminar event planners decide to mail a save-the-date postcard for next year’s event they must be sure to avoid printing it on 100 lb. text weight paper stock, which is too light to meet postal regulations.

Being aware of the specification options, both aesthetic and logistical, allows you to create a piece that is appropriate for the needs of the project, while also considering ensuring that the result is high-quality, cost-efficient, on-time and implementable.

Should you go digital or offset?
—

Day after day, print production specifications navigate their way to print estimators’ desks so they can determine the cost of a project. As the estimator reviews the laundry list of specifications, factoring in time and budget constraints, the very first question to be answered is whether to proceed with the estimate as a digital or offset printing project.

Digital printing is essentially your home printer on steroids. Offset printing involves more production material, namely plates, which adds cost to a project. Each production method has its pros and cons.

For experienced estimators, it’s easy to see which printing avenue is best for a project simply by scanning its specifications. However, some projects fall into a grey area which requires the project be estimated via digital and offset reproduction to determine which is more cost-efficient.

Digital reproduction has advanced light-years over the past decade or so. Many print purists say that offset reproduction is still of a higher quality than digital; but digital does successfully fill many voids. Digital’s main selling points are quicker turnaround time (in large part because metal printing plates do not need to be made) and a much lower out-of-pocket cost for short runs. Digital is a great solution for small quantities, and for producing a pre-run, or test-run, of a publication.

If you’re not sure which method of printing would be best for your particular project, ask your printer for his or her honest assessment of the best way to proceed.

Life between the sheets: deciding on paper stock
—

A magazine design with brilliant, deep colors—like this one—needs the right paper to really shine. Design by Shwin.

Paper is such a huge topic that my printing company devotes a four-hour workshop on the topic, with no redundant information.

As described above in the New England cottage example, the paper specification should help convey a mood or a message, by complementing and even enhancing, the project’s artwork.

In the broadest strokes, paper falls into two main categories: coated and uncoated.

Coated stocks come in a myriad of finishes, including matte-coated, silk or satin, dull, gloss and cast-coated. Coated stocks are best-suited for holding detail and contrast in photos, and for giving ink colors “pop” on the paper. This is because the ink is sitting on top of the paper surface, rather than being absorbed into the paper as with uncoated stocks.

Traditionally, uncoated stocks have been available as smooth, vellum, linen, laid, wove and felt finishes. Uncoated stocks are far more reader-friendly than coated, because they lack reflection or gloss. While photos and other images tend to look flatter on uncoated stocks they are usually the choice for text-heavy publications.

But you’re not getting off that easily on paper specification. Sure, you’ve addressed the aesthetic paper spec, but there is still the logistical spec to address—namely paper weight.

Every project, whether it’s a postcard or a poster or a business card, has an appropriate paper weight. This may be slightly subjective, but there is always a “best” weight for every printed piece. Paper weight will impact other areas, too, such as postage cost, for a project destined for the mail.

To play it safe, ask your printer to supply a sample of the paper stock before you commit to it. Seeing the stock, and doing an actual touchy/feely evaluation, may raise some red flags that need to be further investigated.

Ink insights
—

Whether a project is printed in Pantone Matching System (PMS) colors or CMYK (four-color process) may be largely influenced by the digital versus offset printing decision. All digital work is printed CMYK, with some digital presses now offering the option of a fifth or sixth color. Certain inks, such as metallic colors, are often not available via digital printing. Offset work can go a variety of ways: straight CMYK; only PMS colors; or a combination thereof.

Like paper, there is a logistical side to this, too. Depending on end-use, special types of ink may have to be specified; such as heat-resistant; fluorescent; wax-free, and so on.

It is important that the digital art files are prepared in the exact color format that the piece will be printed in so that there are no color surprises once the project is printed.

Pulling it all together: bindery options
—

If your print project is a booklet, brochure or magazine, you’ll need to think about your bindery options. Bindery work falls into two rather broad categories: folding and book-binding. This post-press process takes the finished press sheets and transforms them into something usable like an 8-page accordion-style brochure, or a 200-page plus cover case-bound book.

Although this conceivably may be the very last step of a project’s production journey, the binding specifications must be determined way in advance. When focusing on the paper weight specification, the designer needs to know whether a specific paper weight is too light or too heavy for the desired binding choice. Likewise, the printer will imposition the project on the plates according to how it will ultimately be bound.

For a book job, the designer will need to decide whether to proceed with a self-cover publication (the cover is the same paper weight as the inside pages) or a plus-cover (cover is a heavier paper stock than the inside pages).

There are probably close to two dozen folding options for any brochure or pamphlet project and perhaps half as many book-binding choices. A good designer will be aware of these options and address this particular specification early in the process.

Finishing touches: adding embellishments
—

These labels for a hot sauce range have gold foil embellishments to make them extra fancy. Label design by Iva Tan.

Time for the finesse! This specification is the one that makes your printed project stand out from the crowd (and another area that I could talk about for ages). Some of these embellishments are done in-line on press, while others are strictly post-press processes and techniques. This is a specification which allows a designer and client to produce a memorable project which goes beyond mere ink on paper.

A die-cut brochure, open and folded. Design by YaseenArt for DirectDialyze.

These embellishments include: spot varnishes and aqueous coatings; UV and film laminations, foil stamping, embossing and debossing, die-cutting and more. Hard to choose, right? A graphic designer with a thorough understanding of the various finishing option specifications can be a great resource when it comes to picking the right embellishments for your specific project.

Wanna go green?
—

Last, but not least, are the specifications that determine how environmentally-friendly a project will be produced. Specified paper stock can be made from totally virgin fiber, or manufactured with anywhere from 10% to 100% post-consumer waste. Today’s recycled paper is far more ink-friendly and printable than it was when first introduced several decades ago.

Likewise, inks can be petroleum-based or environmentally-friendly soy-based. Besides green material, a printer may also have environmental initiatives in place such as an active waste-management program or use of water-based chemicals on their presses. Some printers are also Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified, an additional green designation.

The whole enchilada
—

While we’ve explored the major building-block specifications for getting a project printed, there are still other specifications that require attention like the trim sizes for printed pieces. A project’s deadline or due date also becomes an essential specification to consider as it influences what other production elements can be included in the mix.

Try to learn the ins and outs of each specification area and focus on them early in the design process. This knowledge can make a design come to life and makes a designer a vital resource to a client, and an informed buyer to a printer. The final printed piece is like one big enchilada, made up of oh-so many ingredients.

Can't wait to start your next design project?

Our designer community can create pretty much anything you can imagine.

About the author

Alan Bergman is a third-generation printer who has spent nearly four decades in the graphic arts industry. The proverbial ink flows thru his veins, and his pulse pounds to the rhythm of the presses. He is a partner in Gutenberg Graphics, Long Island City, NY.

]]>https://en.99designs.com.br/blog/tips/printing-your-projects/feed/0How EL Group handles design overflow like a bosshttps://en.99designs.com.br/blog/case-studies/el-group-overflow/
https://en.99designs.com.br/blog/case-studies/el-group-overflow/#respondMon, 21 May 2018 14:00:00 +0000https://blog.99cluster.com/blog/?p=169322Have you ever been so successful that you felt like you were drowning in work? Sure, that’s the kind of…

]]>Have you ever been so successful that you felt like you were drowning in work? Sure, that’s the kind of problem we all want to have, but it doesn’t make it any less tricky to handle.

EL Group knows that dilemma well. A Venture Studio, El Group wanted to expand their offerings and focus more on strategic, holistic solutions, as well as larger-scale creative projects. But with great success comes great demand (but not any more hours in the day).

Being too busy was keeping EL Group from growing, so they needed to make a change. They found a better way to handle overflow work—and grow their incubator—with 99designs.

Challenge: Too much work, too little time

El group builds app startups and they do it well. When they expanded to focus on investment and growing the community, the demand for their work didn’t go down and they needed a way to keep up with the workload while finding more time to devote to new projects.

Solution: An efficient way to handle overflow

EL Group used 99designs to cultivate a network of great app designers they know they can rely on. These designers always enter El Group’s Design Contests, providing them with a consistent source of great ideas. And when El Group has overflow work—like additional screen mockups—they know there’s always a designer there to get it done.

Results: Trusted team and room to grow

After running over 100 contests, EL Group has a reliable team of designers they turn to again and again. The speedy, efficient process they’ve developed has allowed EL Group to expand their incubator’s offerings and take in new entrepreneurs and startups without lowering the high standards that got them where they are today.

Handling overflow efficiently to foster growth
—

You don’t have to be a huge company to grow; you just need the right team in your corner. EL Group needed to handle overflow in a better way, in order to free up the principals’ time to take on new projects and expand the agency’s focus. 99designs helped them handle their overflow and maintain their high standards by building out a trusted team of freelance app designers.

]]>https://en.99designs.com.br/blog/case-studies/el-group-overflow/feed/0How to build a strong corporate identityhttps://en.99designs.com.br/blog/logo-branding/how-to-build-corporate-identity/
https://en.99designs.com.br/blog/logo-branding/how-to-build-corporate-identity/#respondFri, 18 May 2018 15:18:57 +0000https://blog.99cluster.com/blog/?p=169140When you’re starting out as an entrepreneur or startup, having a corporate identity sounds a bit, well, corporate. But don’t…

]]>When you’re starting out as an entrepreneur or startup, having a corporate identity sounds a bit, well, corporate. But don’t let the word deter you. It’s incredibly important to consider how your company is seen by the outside world and to develop an identity with intentionality and focus.

But what is a corporate identity? Is it the same as corporate design? And how do you create a strong corporate identity that sets your business up for sustainable success? Read on to find out.

What is corporate identity?
—

A corporate identity is not just for big corporations. Design by Dudeowl.

When you hear ‘corporate identity’, you probably think of logos, letterheads and business cards—and that’s definitely part of it. Your corporate design is all those things you’d typically associate with a company’s visual identity, including logos and taglines, colors and fonts, stationery, flyers, web design, social media and all that jazz. It’s also your office décor, employee uniforms and any graphics that cover your company cars and trucks (if you have any!).

However, corporate identity is more than just design; it’s who you are as a company. So it includes those corporate design elements on the one hand but also your culture, your values and your internal and external communications.

Corporate identity is also different to brand identity. Consider a big multinational company like Procter & Gamble: the company has one corporate identity—one logo, one set of values and company culture—and then it has hundreds of brands underneath that corporate umbrella—Gillette, Pampers, Pantene—each with an individual brand identity.

Even a smaller company with just one brand (for now) can still make a distinction between the customer-facing brand and the overall corporate identity.

Why is corporate identity important?
—

Shaping your corporate identity is crucial for your business—so make sure you get it right! Design by BATHI.

Whether you know it or not, you already have a corporate identity, just like you have a brand image, whether or not you manage it actively. It’s just a matter of whether you want it to be left to chance—with a logo here, a social media cover there and whatever else creating a hodgepodge over time—or if you want to create something that will support your business objectives.

It’s also important to consider both sides of corporate identity: your design, yes, but also your culture and personality. If you want a warning example, just take a look at Uber. In 2016, Uber launched a new corporate identity—remember when they moved from the old black-and-white ‘U’ to two new icons that represented the ‘bit’ and the ‘atom’. (Err… right!) Not only was the new design criticized but more importantly it ignored deeper issues around brand perception along with a disjointed culture and an unfriendly work environment that later led to sexual harassment charges. Creating a holistic corporate identity means taking into account all aspects of your business—and fixing what isn’t working.

You may think that all this is too big and unnecessary for a small startup like yours—it might seem silly to talk about ‘culture’ when it’s just you and a co-founder—but it’s far more effective (and easier) to get things right from the start than to have to fix things later on.

Proactively building a corporate identity will:

Ensure that you’re consistent and coherent in all your communication;

Allow you to differentiate yourself against your competitors; and

Help you engage effectively with customers, employees and investors.

Convinced yet? Let’s look at what makes up a good corporate identity.

What are the elements of corporate identity?
—

A complete corporate identity consists of many elements that should all work together. Design by duwi.sleman.

Culture and personality

Your corporate identity is more than just design: it’s who you are. It’s everything you stand for, inside and out. That includes…

Your vision and purpose

It’s not enough anymore to be selling a high-quality product. Companies need a bigger ‘why’ for people to get behind. Via Ken Treloar.

It all starts with your reason for going to work every day and why anyone else should care. As Simon Sinek famously stated, “people don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it”.

Companies like Patagonia, TOMS or Lush who have a powerful and, importantly, genuine mission are able to get not just customers but also employees fully engaged and committed to what they do.

Your values, culture and behavior

A company’s values and culture are crucial in shaping corporate identity.

The 99designs team in Melbourne.

Google is legendary for having a fun office environment and in 2018 was named the tech company with the best corporate culture. But it’s about more than the much-hyped ice cream trucks and table football and includes things like flexibility, space for creativity, shared values and trust. A company’s culture is embodied in its leadership (that’s you!), in its policies and procedures and in each and every hire it makes.

Design

All this vision and purpose, your core values, your culture and behavior—it all needs to be role modeled by you and your team, it needs to be embedded in everything you do and it needs to be brought to life in your corporate design. That’s where your design comes in. Yay!

Your logo

This logo uses two filmstrips to form the shape of a heart in a simple and memorable representation of the Noble Heart Films brand name. Design by Chris Kay.

Nothing is more associated with a company than a logo—think the Nike ‘swoosh’, the golden arches of McDonald’s or the red script of Coca-Cola. Done well, it becomes an iconic symbol for your company that inspires positive emotions and represents everything that you stand for. Easy, right?! Take a look at this article on how to design a logo, to learn how it’s done.

Your website

This web design by Mike Barnes communicates a simple message with minimalistic design for a cohesive corporate identity.

The website sits at the heart of any modern-day company ecosystem. It’s the hub for all your content and product information, it’s the one place online that you have full control over and it’s where most of your customers will eventually end up, at some point along their shopping journey.

Social media

Another company targeting males (we hope)! Design by BryanMaxim for High West Beard.

After your website, the next most important online platforms are likely to be your social channels. Whether you’re focused on Facebook, Twitter or YouTube, or on the latest trendy network, you’ll want to make sure you’re projecting a consistent corporate image across each channel.

Packaging and merchandise

These KONA nutrition bars bring to life the playful spirit of the company while using colors and images that capture the cues of the category. Design by Martis Lupus for KONA.

In all this excitement over online materials, we mustn’t forget the offline world: your packaging, if you have a physical product, as well as any merchandise and marketing collateral like mugs, flyers, pens and other fun stuff. These all need to fit with your corporate identity and tell a cohesive story as well.

External corporate communication

This luxury brand consultancy uses all the right cues, with its black-and-metallic color choices, its script font and its high-end materials. Design by smashingbug.

Who writes letters anymore? Well, if you do, you’ll want to think about your corporate design! This includes your letterhead and envelopes, ‘with compliments’ slips (you know those little pieces of paper with a quick message of ‘Thanks!’ or adding a personal touch to a gift that you’re sending) and any other company communication as well as your business cards.

This liquor business is all about modern style paired with cool simplicity and communicates this beautifully in their slide deck. Design by smashingbug.

More likely, you’ll be spending a lot of your time on presentation decks as you try to convince investors or partners that you’re the next AirBnb or Instagram. For that, you’ll want a beautiful template for something like PowerPoint or Keynote that lets you present your company professionally and consistently every time.

Office décor, uniforms, vehicles and everything else

A lot of us run online businesses but, at some point, you may grow your organization and create a proper office space, or you may have a street team out promoting an event, or you may need to make deliveries. Your corporate identity extends to your physical office or store as well as how your employees and other people representing your company present themselves too.

How do you develop the right corporate identity for your business?
—

Okay, so you know what it is. How do you go about crafting one for your company?

1. Consider where you’re coming from

You started this business for a reason and it’s important to not lose sight of that reason as you grow the business. Spend some time reflecting on:

What were your motivations for starting this business?

What was your vision and purpose?

What was your plan for how it would develop?

Although of course the business can and should evolve, having your initial motivations and plans clear upfront will give you a strong foundation and ensure that you build the business you dreamed of.

2. Find out where you are

It’s a good idea to work out where you are today before you try to get to your destination. Logo design by trinitiff.

Before you start to look at where you want to get to, you’ll want to work out where you are today. Take the time to do some research to answer questions like:

What do your existing customers think of you?

What about your employees?

What impression comes across in your current company materials?

You may find some really positive feedback and keywords that you’ll want to keep but you may also find areas of improvement. You can use both positive and negative input to build your corporate identity of the future.

3. Look outside the company

Look beyond your own company to see what’s going on around you. Logo design by DianDrago.

Developing a corporate identity is a delicate balance between playing by the rules of the category and mixing things up so that you stand out. Do some more research now on who your competitors are and see:

What can you learn about the corporate identity of your competitors?

What do you like and what don’t you like?

What do you think makes one company successful and another not?

Make a note of the insights you get—again, both positive and negative—so that you’re aware of these distinctions as you craft your own identity.

4. Create a vision for the future

Having a clear vision will help you end up where you want to be. Web design by RAZS.

A corporate identity takes time to build and so there’s no point in developing something for where you are today—it’ll be out of date before it has even had an impact! Instead, you want to be looking ahead to where you’re trying to get to with your business, let’s say over a five-year horizon:

Where do you want to be with your company in five years from now?

What will your internal structure and team look like?

What new products and services will you be launching?

Looking ahead like this will help to ensure that the identity you’re developing now will not only be relevant in years to come but will even help you get there.

5. Develop your corporate identity

Ta-da, we got there in the end! You know where you’ve come from, where you are today and where you want to get to; you know what your competitors are up to; and you’re now ready to craft your very own corporate identity! Remember that this means both the design aspects and the culture and personality side of things.

Learn more about how to develop your branding strategy—this will take you through the important elements of your purpose, your core values, your brand personality and your positioning.

Learn more about developing your brand identity—this goes into the details of your brand design including typography, color palette and form as well as how these will be brought to life in your logo, website, business cards, etc.

Learn more about creating a brand style guide—this is where you’ll keep track of all those elements of your brand identity in one handy reference document.

Notice how we’re suddenly talking about brand again and not corporate? Well, when you’re a small company with just one brand, your company will effectively be based just on that one brand. There may still be differences between how you present your brand to your customers and how you present your company to investors and other corporate—but the process is the same!

Want to get your corporate identity into shape?

Let our designers bring all this to life for your company.

]]>https://en.99designs.com.br/blog/logo-branding/how-to-build-corporate-identity/feed/045 emblem logos that hit the markhttps://en.99designs.com.br/blog/creative-inspiration/emblem-logos/
https://en.99designs.com.br/blog/creative-inspiration/emblem-logos/#respondThu, 17 May 2018 14:00:00 +0000https://blog.99cluster.com/blog/?p=169130Some logos use words—like a brand name or initials. Others use images. Emblem logos use both to create an instantly…

]]>Some logos use words—like a brand name or initials. Others use images. Emblem logos use both to create an instantly classic feel. So why use an emblem instead of another type of logo?

Well, here’s what an emblem logo can do for your brand:

Give you a distinguished, prestigious and even scholarly feel

Juxtapose youthfulness or a modern direction with traditional values

Create a connection to your company’s or industry’s history

Tie consumers to a community (like a sports teams uses an emblem to create a “tribe”)

Emblem logos have a very specific look. Many are round and this isn’t a coincidence. Historically, round rubber stamps and wax seals were used to make personal marks, and the shape stuck. Emblem logos also don’t use images quite like other types of logos. They rarely use mascots, and when they do, they use simplified or stylized mascots, rather than relatable characters.

Now, let’s take a look at 45 stunning examples of emblem logos in action.

Vintage emblem logos
—

Emblem logos are a popular choice for companies that want to evoke a vintage feel that communicates its values, process or ingredients. They can also be a whimsical way to play on consumers’ sense of nostalgia.

Many vintage emblems contained more text than you’d find in a modern emblem and only two colors, relying on contrast to make the words and images pop. Via Ford.

Companies that have been around a long time—and new companies that want to distance themselves from the connotations of being a new player in their fields—can also use emblem logos to communicate this aspect of their brands. Having a long history (or even just looking the part) makes a brand appear to be a trustworthy provider of quality products and service.

For an established brand, using an older iteration of the logo from time to time can be a fun way to connect with fans. Via Chicago Cubs.

Traditional emblem logos
—

You might be thinking, aren’t traditional emblems the same thing as vintage emblems? They’re similar, but they’re not the same. Both can be used to make a brand feel established and trustworthy. The difference is how that’s communicated.

Vintage logos often reimagine older styles and conventions; traditional logos are just that: traditional. They make the conscious decision not to step outside the box. That doesn’t mean traditional emblem logos can’t be creative, but their creativity plays by the rules and uses a limited toolbox.

If your company’s been around a long time, traditional emblem logos could be the way to go because they don’t rock the boat. A logo update doesn’t have to mean an entirely new logo. Maybe your brand just needs a bit more contour or a bit more shading.

Take a look at how General Electric has updated its logo since it was established in 1891:

In 127 years, all GE’s logo got was a circle, some crisper lines, shadows and then, color. Via General Electric.

Traditional emblem logos use standard design elements in all sorts of different ways:

When you’ve been around since 1366, a new logo isn’t the way to go. Via Stella Artois.There’s a reason why simple is traditional: it’s easy to replicate over and over through the years. Via Project 4

Modern emblem logos
—

With a modern-looking emblem logo, you can communicate similar values to a vintage or traditional mark, but without the connotations that can come with looking too old school. If you’re in an industry known for erring on the conservative side (like financial services, for example), a modern emblem logo can be a powerful way to differentiate yourself and show that you’re inclusive and progressive.

Here are a few modern takes on emblem logos:

Twisting traditional art styles or imagery can be a bold way to create a modern emblem. Via DemonicOften, modernizing an established emblem involves stripping it to its core and letting that core stand on its own. Via Starbucks.

Bold emblem logos
—

Whether you’re using a wide palette or just two colors, you’ve got to make your colors pop. Contrast is key in emblem logos because your logo will appear in all sorts of places. It’ll be on black and white documents and on backgrounds that’ll change the tones of your colors.

Use contrast to design an emblem logo that your audience will instantly recognize anywhere.

Choose colors that contrast with each other so none get overlooked. Via KVAHigh contrast, recognizable anywhere: the Superman logo. Via DC Comics.

Scholarly emblem logos
—

Emblem logos convey authority. And if you’re a school, company or nonprofit in the educational sector, this is a great way to show that you’re a master on your subject.

Even if you’re not in the educational sphere, using a college emblem is a way to communicate that you know your stuff and can impart this knowledge effectively. Bookstores, medical groups and law firms are primary examples of the kinds of companies that can benefit from using scholarly emblem logos.

Medieval emblem logos
—

Every emblem tells a story. But some tell more detailed stories than others. Think of the banners medieval knights would ride beneath with the stitched-on images of castles and stylized animals. Those are heraldic badges (also known as coats of arms), and they’re a type of emblem that’s been used to represent notable families and nations for centuries.

A heraldic badge isn’t just a collection of images. It tells an intricate story through color and imagery choices. For a regal feel, tell your story in pictures with this type of emblem logo.

Animals, real and imagined, are a key part of a heraldic badge. Flag of Wales via Historic UK.

Make your mark with an emblem logo
—

Emblem logos share many of the same elements, but each is a timeless image that symbolizes a brand’s personality. This type of logo captures your values, your history and your product in an instantly recognizable mark.

Want an emblem logo for your brand?

Our designers can create the perfect one for you.

]]>https://en.99designs.com.br/blog/creative-inspiration/emblem-logos/feed/0malzi. ignites his creativity with the help of working vacationshttps://en.99designs.com.br/blog/designers/malzi-interview/
https://en.99designs.com.br/blog/designers/malzi-interview/#respondWed, 16 May 2018 14:00:00 +0000https://blog.99cluster.com/blog/?p=169314Timo Malzbender (known to us as malzi.) is a German-based UI & UX designer with a passion for travel. He regularly…

]]>Timo Malzbender (known to us as malzi.) is a German-based UI & UX designer with a passion for travel. He regularly explores scenic locales around the world for weeks at a time, while working remotely on web and app interfaces for his clients.

For him, the frequent escapes into nature energize his work and offer an ideal work/life balance that most 9-to-5ers would be envious of. But does this on-and-off remote lifestyle really work? A quick look at his glowing client reviews and stylish portfolio prove this approach is paying off.

We chatted with malzi. about his jet setter lifestyle, why digital detox is important for creativity and his tips for building a remote design career.

What made you become a designer?

I took my first steps as graphic designer when I was a teenager. I created free graphics for a football computer game.

After school, I joined a television company as a trainee for digital and print media design and finished my study of graphic design and media art in 2006.

You’re a big traveler. What do you usually do on vacation?

I like to combine work and vacation. I spend the day in nature, which gives me new energy for my clients’ projects in the evening. It works out really great for me.

On average, I travel every six weeks—usually between seven and 21 days, depending on the price of flights and hotels.

How has being a designer enabled you to combine work and travel?

It’s just a perfect combination. I only need my laptop and an internet connection to interact with my clients. It’s a privilege to work from anywhere and I’m enjoying every second of this lifestyle.

What’s the most important thing to consider when planning a working-vacation?

If you intend to book a hotel or apartment, make sure that there’s a reasonable internet connection. In Calabria, the Wi-Fi in the rooms was so bad, that I had to ask the receptionist to transfer my winning design from their office computer to 99designs. Curiously, it was a web design for a hotel.

Ever since that experience I make sure that the internet is acceptable beforehand by reading a lot of reviews of the selected hotel on Tripadvisor.

Why did you decide to join 99designs?

I liked the idea of competing with other designers worldwide. Additionally, I was able to participate in web design competitions, which I rarely work on at my job but totally enjoy doing.

How has 99designs helped you travel while working?

Of course I fund a good portion of my travel expenses through 99designs, which I am very grateful for. But I also don’t need to worry about client acquisition, so I can concentrate completely on the projects at hand.

What are some of the advantages and disadvantages you find with remote work?

When you are in beautiful places, you are much more creative. I’m more motivated and the work goes faster when I travel at regular intervals.

I see absolutely no disadvantages to working remotely.

Are there any big things to avoid when working while traveling?

No deadlines on travel days. You can always be delayed and those two days are already very stressful. If a client is waiting for updates, you’re not able to upload files without an internet connection.

Therefore, I always organize my deadlines so that they never match with arrival and departures dates.

Where are some of your favorite places to travel to?

I was in South Africa two years ago. It’s a great country with so many friendly, open-minded people. I liked it so much that I wanted to explore the continent even more. However I don’t like long-haul flights, so I mostly limit myself to European destinations.

I prefer 18+ hotels or a house in the middle of nowhere in Mallorca, Spain. I always make sure that the places I stay at are located in quiet areas where there is no mass tourism—I don´t like crowded beaches. I really enjoy working in nature, rather than a public space.

Every summer I spend a few weeks on a finca, which is fantastically located on a mountain in the middle of nowhere. You only hear the crickets—it’s ideal to disconnect from stressful city life. Working under olive trees with a great view is always very special for me.

What’s your best advice for people interested in working remotely?

Even if there’s a lot of work to do, you should take some time for yourself—especially when traveling.

Coordinate your working hours and give your body some time away from digital stress. An empty mind cannot be creative.

]]>Picture this: You’ve just met a potential business partner and everything seems great. You’re ready to sign a contract and then they invite you to their office—a rusty van under a bridge! Gives you second thoughts about doing business together, doesn’t it? Well, that’s how your clients, customers, and potential investors feel when they arrive at a shoddy or outdated website. I’m sure you’d rather show them a sleek and high-functioning website to get them enthusiastic about working with you.

In this article, we talk directly and candidly about web design costs. We’ll explain what you can get for your price range, and what to expect so you don’t get short-changed.

Scalable price tag
—

The first and perhaps most important consideration when discussing web design cost is that it’s entirely scalable. Through the proper channels, you could manage a website for as little as $20 a year… but it won’t be pretty (or worse, usable). And that’s our point: what you get out of web design depends on what you put in, but what you put in is entirely up to you.

Below, we break up the best web design methods into 3 categories, but they can also be read as “low, medium, and high cost.”

The lowest web design prices belong to DIY methods like templates. These supplant financial costs with time and elbow grease. But if you’re using a free template, and you want to get more out of it, your website would benefit from a professional designer in some capacity.

The medium level and most common method is working directly with a freelance designer to get your web design done. Depending on the designer, this could be your ideal balance between cost and quality. You need to spend some time and effort collaborating with your designer, but you’ll end up with something unique and custom-made.

The cost of a freelance designer is based on their own skill level. A master designer with decades of experience obviously costs more than a recent graduate on their first assignment. Still, when all the tallies are marked, a freelancer is almost always cheaper than their agency equivalent, even at the same skill level. Agencies will provide additional services, but with freelancers you’re only paying for the design work, and nothing more.

The most expensive web design costs come with web design agencies. Mainly for enterprises and already established companies, agencies take care of everything and require minimal effort on your part. The final product is usually great too, but the major gatekeeper is the price of admission.

“Form ever follows function”
—

Another crucial consideration in managing your web design costs is the distinction between how your site looks and how it functions. Don’t mistake a site that looks good for a site that’s actually good. The truth is, a site’s functionality is always more important than its looks. It harkens back to a maxim of modernist architecture in the 1940s, “form ever follows function,” meaning a building’s purpose comes first and dictates how the building looks. So before you start thinking about your site’s design, you should figure out what you need it to do.

To make this more clear, here’s a quick overview: “Web design” is an umbrella term that encompasses a few different fields, although they tend to overlap:

This is how the fields of web design overlap.

User Interface (UI) Design: The controls on your site; how easy/difficult it is for visitors to move around, interact with the site, and complete tasks.

User Experience (UX) Design: How the user feels while using the site: is the experience intuitive or frustrating, relaxing or annoying?

At the end of the day, your site’s UI design is the top priority. Start thinking about functionality instead of form; what do you want your site to do, not what do you want it to look like. Don’t get us wrong, visuals are crucial to good web design—but they should only be handled after mastering your site’s usability.

This isn’t just general advice either. What you want your site to do determines your web design price. Complex interfaces, additional features, and extra pages all add on fees to your design and development costs. Before you spend a dime on web design, first outline what you need for your site. This sheds light on which method is the most efficient use of your money.

Your 3 main web design choices
—

Now that we’ve explained some background for choosing how to get your site designed, let’s go through each of the methods individually. Here you can see where your money’s going, what you can expect, what types of companies it works best for, and even a few casual tips for making the most out of your decision.

NOTE: Prices do NOT include things like development, hosting, maintenance or other fees.

1. DIY using a template site
—

Price range: $0 – $300

Sites like WordPress, Wix, SquareSpace, Weebly, and Shopify are ushering in a new era of DIY web design, allowing anyone to build and manage their own site for minimal costs.

The first choice you make is which site to use. Different sites appeal to different styles and industries; Shopify is exclusively ecommerce, WordPress has a large community of third-party designers for more customization options, etc.

Website builders like Wix break down a web page into its components, and let you select how to handle each one individually.

These sites target people with little or no prior design knowledge, so their usability is built around ease-of-use, often with drag-and-drop functionality. Design inexperience shouldn’t deter you from using one of these sites, but if you need some advanced design techniques, you should consider your own personal time investment in researching and learning.

The way these sites simplify such a complex process is through templates. Most of these sites are structured around template components, preexisting themes, and add-ons; you either choose one of a series of presets, or download the particular options and features you want.

The drawback is less options for customization. If you have new or original ideas, templates can stifle creativity; you’re limited to what has already been done before. While sometimes you find the perfect piece or jerry-rig something close to your vision, more often than not you’re left disappointed after wasting hours browsing catalogues. And to make matters worse, there’s the possibility that other sites (even competitors) may be using the exact same parts as you are.

Deciding how you want to create your web design is like choosing your own adventure. Web design by arosto.

The cost of templates and add-ons varies widely, starting from free for basic ones. One of the biggest misconceptions is that these DIY sites are a flat fee, but in reality you often spend extra buying new components, themes, or add-ons. These sites often hide their best “design parts” behind a paywall or simply charge a higher price than the standard components. Some sites like WordPress allow add-ons from third parties that can charge whatever they want.

To calculate an accurate web design price, research the costs of the components, add-ons, templates, or themes you need. (This is where outlining necessary functions beforehand comes in handy.) Sometimes what you need is too expensive or not even available, so plan it out early so there aren’t any surprises later.

In general, this method works best for companies just starting out or sites with bare-bones necessities. Basic landing pages, online stores for “weekenders,” portfolio sites—nothing that can single-handedly support a business in the long-run. While these are a good starting point for someone on an extremely tight budget, we’ve found that most businesses move on from a template site within the first couple years.

Pro tip:

If you have a little extra money to spare, you can actually hire a designer to help customize your DIY site. Hiring a designer to work within a template site costs less than commissioning an original site, and the level of quality will be better than if you did it yourself. This is especially true if you hire a designer who specializes in your platform; for example, WordPress has an extensive library of add-ons, so it’d be helpful to hire someone who knows what they’re looking for.

At the very least, consider hiring a designer to work on your branding materials like a logo or brand identity. A polished logo or a professionally curated color scheme can inject a DIY site with a little extra quality and class, so make sure to get your logo done by a professional designer.

2. Hire a freelance web designer
—

Price range: $500 – $5,000+

The most common method for web design, hiring a freelancer, balances cost and the quality of the final product. It’s also a stable middle ground between doing everything yourself and not doing anything yourself.

Hiring a freelancer is more of a collaboration and less like outsourcing. You or someone on your team has to liason and explain your company’s vision, and some background in design helps in back-and-forth communication.

Moreover, you and your company must first know what you want, with realistic expectations and informed design decisions. If you leave all your design decisions up to your freelancer, chances are it will turn out a lot differently than you expected. But rest assured, a professional designer will create something that’s both functional and good-looking.

Depending on what kind of functionality you want, you may also need to find a developer. Developers deal in technical aspects of building a site, while designers handle the aspects you can see and interact with. Development is an additional cost that comes with hiring a freelance designer (unless you’re hiring a designer to work in a DIY platform), and developer fees on average run between $75 – $300 per hour in North America, but can be cheaper if you’re outsourcing to a freelancer living overseas.

Sometimes you can hire a designer who’s also a developer for the complete package, but you’ll need to check with your designer to find out what services they offer.

When it comes to pricing a freelance web designer, the costs vary depending on the workload and the designer’s skill level. The more pages you need, the more work needs to be done and therefore the higher the web design cost. If you need a lot of pages with the same structure and look, one way to curb this price is to hire a designer to create page “templates” that you fill with content yourself. For example, if you run an online store, you could hire a designer to make a single product page template, which you can then use for each product.

One thing to keep in mind, though, is that if you require heavier maintenance than normal, you may want to consider hiring an in-house designer. Freelancers work best for most sites, but a minority of sites will need constant updating and revising.

Design contest winner for Matt Brown, by 2ché.

Works best for…

As the middle route, hiring a freelance web designer is the smartest choice for most companies. A vast majority of businesses have online needs that fall well within the capabilities of freelancers; the only exceptions are businesses with unique functionalities or exceedingly complex needs.

Hiring freelancers is also a smart move for companies that are big enough to need regular design work, but too small to hire an in-house designer. In many ways, the freelancer route it a transitional step before reaching more ambitious goals.

We’ve talked a lot about what freelancers can do, but the hardest part of hiring a freelance is the actual hiring process. For one thing, it’s hard to gauge a designer’s skill if you’re not fluent in design, but the design-illiterate benefit the most from freelance designers. Then there are the logistical details, like where to find them and knowing what an appropriate cost is. To make the process easier, here’s an article on how to find and hire a freelance designer.

If you already know what you’re looking for, our personal ranking system makes it easy to browse designers by skill level and specialty. You can even filter results by your own criteria, so all you have to do is browse styles for the one that speaks to you.

There's a beautiful web design waiting for you!

All you need to do is find the perfect designer for the job.

In case you’re still looking for ideas and inspiration on what kind of design you want, check out the design contest option. With the crowdsourcing approach you get dozens of design samples based on your specifications, so you can see a variety of options before sealing the deal.

3. Work with an agency
—

Price range: $3,000+

An agency is the best design option money can buy (although the quality of different agencies varies). Hiring an agency to design your site delivers the full treatment, but at the expense of web design costs, sometimes up to 6 figures.

Agencies mean you have an entire team working for you… but you also have to pay for the entire team. Via Pexels.

In addition to the actual design talent, the extra money goes into additional benefits. The beauty of agencies is that you have an entire team working for you instead of a single employee. That means you have individual specialists—a separate graphic designer, UX designer, content writer, SEO engineer, developer, etc. This format tends to produce fuller results than an individual handling everything. You’ll end up with the complete package.

The other main advantage of agencies is that, once you sign them on for the project, your job is more-or-less done. You can still oversee their progress and give notes, but you won’t be bothered by the actual day-to-day work or trivial roadblocks.

If you say YES to an agency, they will make all your web design dreams come true. But remember to look at the price tag. Web design by galinka.

However, if you choose the wrong agency, those “advantages” can turn against you. You need to make sure to pick one that fits the style you are going for. Also remember that in some cases more manpower can turn into a “too many cooks in the kitchen” scenario. And if you prefer a hands-on approach, being left out of the loop could be frustrating.

If you’re interested in hiring a design agency, as always you should outline your necessary functions first to determine whether the high cost is justified. Most sites don’t require such intensive treatment, but if, for example, you need a custom content management system (CMS) to handle all your usability requirements, that’s a lot to ask from a single freelancer.

An agency can do pretty much anything for you, from web design to branding and even content creation. Web design by Iconic Graphics.

Works best for…

Aside from enterprises and conglomerates, agencies are also the best option for companies with complex site needs. Sites using experimental technology or hosting excessive amounts of pages require the extra hands from agencies. If your project is more within the normal requirements of web design, a freelance designer should be able to cover it, and at a fraction of the cost.

Pro tip:

Ask agencies for a price breakdown to make sure you’re only paying for services you need. Some agencies outsource their work to freelancers themselves and charge their clients for handling everything for them. If you don’t mind doing it yourself, you could easily sidestep this fee by hiring the designer or other specialist yourself. In other words, pick and choose which services to use freelancers for and which ones to use an agency for. That way you can always get the best deal.

Takeaway: Know where to look
—

We broke the main web design methods into 3 basic categories to make web design cost easier to understand, but the truth is the level of quality within each category varies greatly. Some top-shelf freelance designers cost more than the less-pricey agencies; some DIY sites cost more than hiring a freelancer.

It’s not enough to choose your method, you also have to find the right platform, freelancer or agency for you among the pool. But, once again, knowing what you need beforehand makes all subsequent decisions easier, including finding the designer that’s right for you.

]]>With state-of-the-art design software and digital tablets replacing messy inks and paper, it’s easy to forget that logo design was originally a hand-drawn practice. In fact, many of the celebrated logos of the 60s, 70s and 80s were made without computers at all. Considering how long they’ve stuck around, there might just be something to the idea of ditching your fancy stylus pen (for the first few drafts, at least!).

Digital tools have since streamlined the design process, but designers are still drawn (pardon the pun) to handmade logos—not only for their evocation of the early days of graphic design, but for the nuanced brand values these logos, and the time and attention that goes into them, communicate.

The examples gathered here represent a handful of these brand values, and if you pay attention, they might just lend you a helping hand (last pun, promise) to your next logo idea.

Cursive and hand-lettered logos
—

Hand-lettered wordmarks and monograms are as classic as branding can get. They function similarly to a personal signature, except for a business. Because no two signatures are alike, this style is a great way to guarantee a unique logo.

Additionally, the connection to personal signatures lets your brand feel more human and friendly. It’s a style that can work great for selling natural soaps, small coffee shops or healing practices—businesses that interact directly with customers or want to give their own stamp of approval on their handmade products.

Hand-drawn sketches
—

Another approach to handmade logos is to incorporate a sketch of an object, scene or idea. Take for example the furniture store logo above which depicts a table and chair. The shapes are loosely formed and somewhat open to interpretation. It has an almost abstract appearance that is atmospheric, calm and whimsical.

A sketch-style logo is a great choice if your business is aiming to create a free and floating atmosphere–good for businesses relating to experiential products or environments like coffee shops, furniture stores, or even agricultural businesses that might want to suggest to customers the open and breezy nature of their farm.

Rustic and down-to-earth
—

You’ve probably noticed that many of the examples so far feel tangible and organic. It turns out this is just an essential trait of hand-drawn designs. If you take the time to put love and care into a hand-crafted design, it’s going to feel pretty down-to-earth. Additionally, a touch of imperfection infuses logos with a natural, human appearance as opposed to a machine-made, mathematically precise look.

The designs featured above reflect this feeling with gentle illustrations, imperfect decorative patterns and quaint concepts. If an organic or rustic feel is a focal point of your business, consider this style of logo design.

Fun and playful handmade elements
—

Creating anything by hand can also be really fun–cooking, playing music, painting and that’s right, graphic design too! The examples above capture the fun of making hand-drawn design—such as painting with bright hues, incorporating children’s drawings or using organic patterns with colors that pop. Any business that values fun should consider a hand-made logo. Think dog walking, vacation, education or daycare businesses.

Artisanal and craft logos
—

On the slightly more formal side, the old-fashioned nature of hand-drawn design can give logos a vintage, artisanal look. This is an approach you should consider if you are trying to express dedication to a craft. Think beer brewing, coffee roasting or even plant nurseries. This type of design often features detailed illustrations with ornate decoration which take time and skill to create (just like for your product!).

A great choice, hands down
—

If you feel like your brand could use a human touch and doesn’t mind going a little old school to do it, a hand-drawn logo design is great choice. Whether it’s a personal signature, down-to-earth illustration or detailed labor of love, your design will capture your own unique and timeless message.

Need a hand-drawn logo for your brand?

Our designers can create the perfect one for you.

]]>https://en.99designs.com.br/blog/creative-inspiration/handmade-and-hand-drawn-logos/feed/1How to choose the perfect colors for your business cardhttps://en.99designs.com.br/blog/logo-branding/business-card-colors/
https://en.99designs.com.br/blog/logo-branding/business-card-colors/#respondWed, 09 May 2018 18:17:28 +0000https://blog.99cluster.com/blog/?p=169133Take a look at your business cards. What stands out to you at first glance? If all you see is…

]]>Take a look at your business cards. What stands out to you at first glance? If all you see is black-on-white nothingness, chances are, that’s the first impression you’re making on others. Yes, it can be difficult to look at your own marketing materials objectively, but there is at least one thing that can set your business card apart from all the rest: choosing the right colors.

If your business card is in black and white, you may be missing out. According to experts, people will keep a color business card ten times longer than one that is monochrome.

But did you know that there are certain color schemes for business card development that can increase your chances of landing a new client or closing a sales deal? Colors can influence how we feel, which means they are more likely to engage us and incite us to taking an action—like pulling a business card from a stack and making a phone call.

So what do you need to do to pick the right colors for your business card? We’ll give you the scoop. In this article, we’ll take you through the various elements you need to think about when choosing your business card colors:

1. Color theory
—

You may not even realize it, but when you pick up a business card, you make a subconscious connection to what you see. Color plays a large role in that. In order to create designs that are effective, we can use color theory, which helps us understand how colors best complement each other.

Understanding color theory

With color theory, designers get an understanding for the role various colors play in conveying a message. This includes how colors are mixed and where they fall on the color wheel.

Grouping colors in a scheme that puts complementary colors together, for instance, is one formula, while grouping them in an analogous scheme—three colors resting side-by-side on the color wheel are considered analogous—would be another. A designer could also pull colors that represent nature from the color wheel, creating a scheme comprised completely of various hues of greens and yellows.

In addition to complementary and analogous colors, some designers opt for triadic colors, which uses colors that are equally spaced around the color wheel. Green, orange, and purple, for instance, can be put together to make a bold, eye-catching statement. You could also go for a tetradic design, which chooses four colors spaced in a rectangular pattern around the color wheel. Play with variations of this to find the color scheme that works best for your business card.

Color psychology

In addition to color theory, designers also use color psychology to choose the right colors to fit a business’s brand messaging. For instance:

Yellow conveys optimism and warmth

Orange communicates cheer and confidence

Red appears youthful and bold

Blue communicates dependability and strength

Green is associated with peace and health

Grey is seen as neutral and calm

Color psychology can have a huge impact on how your business card will be perceived. If you want to learn more about the meaning of colors and how to use them, take a look at this article on color psychology.

Applying color theory to your business card design

For a children’s dentistry a fun, lively design that incorporates reds and yellows is more appropriate, whereas a law firm might want to use blues, greys or muted colors that represent reliability. So when it comes to color think about what effect you are going for first.

At networking events, as attendees collect multiple business cards, what will make yours stand out from the stack? You may be thinking: alrighty then, a neon rainbow business card it is. But that’s not necessarily the case. You want your card to fit your brand, so people remember what your business is all about. Even a minimalistic design with very little, strategically placed color can do the trick.

And remember that the color scheme you choose should be carried through in all your brand collateral—your business’s logo, signage, website design, and business card—to keep messaging consistent.

2. Designing your card
—

Professional designers have an eye for detail, realizing that they need to strategically use white space and make sure fonts are legible, first and foremost. Color comes into play only after they’ve squared away those design basics.

Logo color

First, take a look at your logo. This will likely be a prominent part of your business card, so you’ll need to choose colors that complement it. Designers pay close attention to the color wheel, choosing colors that are either in the same color family or on opposite sides of the color wheel. If your logo features shades of purple, for instance, you may opt for a shade of orange as contrast.

Color placement

Secondly, choose a strategy for your color placement. You can opt to saturate your card with your color of choice or carefully place color throughout. Often the best design involves using color solely on the logo and text, with the contrasting colors setting a tone. You may also choose to saturate one side of your card in the same color you use for your logo on the other.

Paper type

For non-designers, paper is an often-disregarded part of the design process. But paper plays an important role and can impact how your colors come across on the printed card. Thick stock is recommended, but you’ll also have the choice between glossy or matte. Glossy finish is shiny, reflecting light, so consider that if readability is a concern. Certain lighting conditions may make it difficult to read, especially if you’ve chosen a reflective color like dark blue or black.

Fonts and graphics

When choosing colors for your fonts and graphics, remember contrast is key. You want your name and contact details to be easily readable. On a light background black is a safe choice. For any graphics and illustrations that you want to add to your card design, complementing colors work well, such as those from opposing sides of the color wheel. You can also use variations of the same color—dark blue typeface and a bright blue logo, for instance. A crisp white or a deep black background can make the colors of your logo pop. Always remember that readability is the most important feature, but feel free to try out different color combinations until you find one that works.

One-sided vs. two-sided

Once you’re ready to get started, you’ll need to decide whether you want a one-sided or two-sided business card. Condensing the information to one side will keep things concise, as well as being less expensive to print. A single-sided card leaves room on the back for you to write a note, but a two-sided card allows you to put your logo on one side and your contact information on the other. But most importantly, a two-sided card gives you the opportunity to use different colors for each side or the same color, if you feel that makes a better statement.

3. Brand consistency
—

As important as color and paper choice are in general business card design, there’s nothing general about your own marketing materials. The choices you make should be specific to your own business branding. Before you start, look at your existing marketing collateral. If you’ve decided on a color refresh, you’ll need to put effort into updating your other materials.

Consider your company culture

In addition to matching your brand marketing, your color choices should be consistent with the type of company culture you project. If you prefer to be all business, your colors should be subdued—think black, white and grey as well as muted blues or greens. But if you’re more fun, choose bright, playful colors or earthy tones for a laid-back look. This will help you naturally attract the type of client who embraces your work environment.

A small piece of paper with a huge impact

—

Your business card serves as a “calling card” for your company. Your color choices should readily communicate the type of business you run, as well as matching the products or services you provide. Now that you know what to look out for when choosing your business card colors, you’ll be able to make a great impression from the get go. Trust us—with the right colors your card will be the perfect tool to make new business connections and help clients remember your name.